Five to 30 year prison sentence for Norway woman involved with meth

June 18, 2013

IRON MOUNTAIN - A Norway woman was handed a five-to-30 year prison term for her involvement in manufacturing methamphetamine at a rental house in Kingsford in March.

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Jennifer Lacosse, 27, stood with her attorneys Kalen Lipe and Dan Jaspen of Iron Mountain on Monday for sentencing in Dickinson County Circuit Court.

Jaspen said his client understands she got caught up in something that over took her and regrets letting herself get involved.

Lipe added Lacosse mentioned to her how she was overwhelmed by the personality of the main person involved in this meth lab.

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Lisa M. Reed/Daily News PhotoJennifer Lacosse is sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison for methamphetamine charges and a minimum of 12 months for failure to pay child support. From left, are attorney Kalen Lipe of Iron Mountain, Lacosse and attorney Dan Jaspen of Iron Mountain.

"She is distraught and a non-aggressive criminal," Lipe said.

As for the child support charge, Lipe said her client felt the obligation and took it very seriously, but was unable to get herself organized.

At her arraignment, Lacosse pleaded guilty to delivery/manufacture of methamphetamine and maintaining a meth lab and habitual offender, second offense.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Carl Downing said that unlike any other drug, meth has direct consequences. He said those include anything from explosions to toxic environments affecting the health of police officer or any others who may come into contact with the substance, costs thousands of dollars of the public's money to clean up, and a whole complex can be shut down with its residents evicted and put on the street.

He added that except for the cold medicine, the ingredients in methamphetamine are poisonous and include Draino, lighter fluid, fertilizer, and lithium from batteries.

"Nothing out there compares," Downing said.

He added Lacosse deserves 60 months in prison and the community expects her to have this sentence.

"She deserves everything she gets in this," Downing said.

Lacosse apologized to the community and her family.

"I lost sight of what was important to me. Only I can choose the outcome," she said. "I am truly sorry."

Judge Richard Celello also said this is the most dangerous drug in the community.

He told Lacosse to use her time in prison to be rehabilitated and obtain the tools she needs to stay out of prison.

"Going back to that, you're killing yourself," he said.

Lacosse was sentenced to 12 months to six years for failing to pay child support and five years 10 months to 30 years in prison for the methamphetamine charges.

She was given credit for 139 days served on both offenses.

According to the felony complaints, Lacosse and a co-defendant admitted to making two batches of the drug at the residence and were assisting each other when police arrived.

Known components in the manufacturing process were on Lacosse at the time of her arrest.

The felony complaint notes Lacosse had provided another co-defendant with a shopping list and acknowledged she would use the components to make meth.

Lacosse was previously convicted of attempted forgery from Sept. 5, 2008 in Dickinson County Circuit Court.

The failure to pay child support stems from a court order she violated from December 2009 to 2012.

Also charged in the March 11-12 incident of delivery and manufacture of methamphetamine are Samatha Matson, Nicole Strutz and Steven Spencer.

Matson, 22, of Vulcan, was able to withdraw her plea to maintaining a meth lab after the sentencing guidelines violated the plea agreement of recommended jail time. A pre-trial conference was held on Monday and no further court date is set at this time.

Sentencing on similar charges are set for July 22 at 9 a.m. for Strutz and Spencer.